On the road to Edwards

Nine-year-old Abe Hoffman of Denver kicks back at an aid station outside of Leadville on Monday. Abe's riding tandem with his dad.

Too cool for the cycling set: Style is everything for some folks in the cycling world. Pro-style kits (jerseys and shorts), top-of-the-line bikes, the latest technology in altimeters and GPS, road cachet. Many folks spend a lot of money and put even more effort into achieving that cachet, and even then it doesn’t quite ring true. They’re just trying too hard.

And then there’s Abe Hoffman, who makes it all look effortless. I found the 9-year-old from Denver sprawled against a split-rail ranch fence at the aid station outside of Leadville on Monday. He looked like Dirty Harry with a bike helmet.

The scene at the aid station seemed to bore him as he surveyed the scene of spandex-clad crowds milling about in front of him, looking for a place to prop their LeMonds and Serrottas and Orbeas that wouldn’t scratch them. Abe’s own ride is a cool tandem that he shares with his dad, and if anyone made today’s ride look easy, it was him. I had seen Abe and his father fly by me in a blur while I took a camera break outside Leadville. So when I saw him at the aid station and asked him if I could take his picture, he shrugged, lifted his glasses a bit and drawled, “Why?”

Indeed.

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When you're making pancakes for a couple thousand cyclists, you need a bigger mixing bowl. And maybe a drill?

Pancakes— The new drug: The common thinking was that today’s 75-mile ride from Buena Vista to Edwards would be easier than yesterday’s dirt climb: not as much climbing, paved roads, no crosswinds trying to blow us off the mountain.

Yeah, scratch the last part. Headwinds are the bane of every cyclist’s existence. To start a ride with one is just disheartening, and after battling the wind for 13 miles to the first aid station, I saw several people loading their bikes onto the SAG wagons. Forget this.

My answer to this problem is the Pancake Guy. He’s at the first aid station every day, with his homemade flapjack dispenser, his drill-mixer and fast flipping skills. He and his wife make the trip every year from Parker, and they are easily one of the most popular vendors on Ride The Rockies. Hot pancakes are the answer to most of life’s problems, I believe, so when my riding buddy and I rolled into the aid station, a little dispirited with the windy start to the day, he handed us each a towering plate of pancakes. And everything got better. Really.

But the day itself was a long, protracted climb through Leadville and up to Tennessee Pass — 45 miles of climbing, to be exact. And though the wind soon died down and turned into a tailwind, people were struggling a bit. By the time we crossed the bridge to Battle Mountain — which looks like a tiny blip on the elevation map — we were a little disappointed to see it was… more than a blip. At least it was a big, pretty one with more gorgeous views of the valley, with the Eagle River cutting a swath through the valley floor way, way below.

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Cyclists cross the bridge leading to Battle Mountain, a short but steep climb at the end of Monday's route from Buena Vista to Edwards.

To camp or not to camp: In past years, I’ve gone the camping route during Ride The Rockies. I wanted the full RTR experience, and setting up camp after a long ride, dealing with shower trucks and portajohns, the occasional errant sprinkler system going off at 2am… it’s all part of that experience.

It’s not for everyone. Tents are jammed close together, so you’ll often hear snoring from all sides of your tent. Early risers wake up everyone in their neighborhood, with tent zippers screaming up and down at 4am. It’s often freezing out, so the idea of changing into your cycling gear while you can still see your breath is … uncomfortable. And then there’s the shower truck lines, the portajohn nightmare… I even had one neighbor who took to relieving himself in a bottle in the middle of the night — and that was just a little more than I wanted to hear.

This year, a friend offered one of the beds in her hotel rooms for the entire tour, and I guiltily accepted. I was afraid I’d miss out on the comraderie of camping, the opportunity to trade stories with my tent neighbors — or that my buddies would think I’d gone soft in my old age.

Folks, I’ve gone soft. Today, I floated in an outdoor infinity jacuzzi at the Avon Westin, overlooking the Eagle River in Avon while my muscles loosened up under the jets, a cold drink on the side of the pool. I will never camp again. I am a happy wimp, and am glad to give my space in the shower truck line to someone else.

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Post-ride view. No tents, no sleeping bags... just a jacuzzi with a view of the river.

Today’s great finds: The Pancake Guy, the Chocolate Crepe truck at Aid Station 4, the ice cream cones at Turntable Restaurant in Minturn, and the outdoor infinity jacuzzi at the Avon Westin.

Ingrid – I think I may be one of the riders in the photo – the first one on the right in this online version (second in the print version Tuesday). Could I possibly get a copy of this photo zoomed so I can see and possibly send to my mom?

ingrid

Hi Lauren…. Do you mean the bridge photo? I think they changed the order of the layout since. Just let me know which one you’re referring to, and I’ll see what I can do…

In 2012 I asked Bryan Boyle if he was interested in running the Chicago Marathon — two weeks later he asked if I was interested in Ride the Rockies. I got a road bike, got on the tour, and have yet to regret it. This will be my second RTR.